Topic of the Week - Feeding mealworms, bugs etc.

[Ladies-Eight]

I have cinderblocks stacked 2 high and the hens love it.

I have a metal frame table that the glass broke.

I have a bird feeder that I'm getting ready to put in the run.

I have wood branches that are all together that I planted and it looks like a tree and they love it.

Just some of my favorites.

 

[Unwittingchickenlady]

I farm crickets and mealworms for the flock, a pet rat, and a leopard gecko. Crickets can be a little smelly, but they're the preferred product for the leo. Mealworms are simple as pie though, and their frass is good for the garden.

 

[EIEIO Funny Farm]

When feeding extra protein do be careful with the forms of live protein that you chose to feed your chickens. Meal worms are the larva stage of the DARKLING BEETLE and both meal worms and darkling beetles are a major pest and a serious disease vector in commercial chicken houses, besides the meal worms destroy the very chicken house that they live in by boring into the walls of the chicken house in order to pupate. This behavior is more pronounced when using the deep litter method of of chicken manure control.

Don't take my poor word for this, research it and find out for yourself. Also other things like Earth worms, slugs, crickets, snails, and grasshoppers all transmit disease bacteria and intestinal worms to your flock.

Question: I have a ton of black soldier fly larvae in my compost bin. My hens have gotten a few of them just off the lid while I’m mixing up the compost, but I’ve never intentionally fed them any. Now I wonder if I can harvest and dry them for occasional treats? They are expensive buying from the feed store.
If that’s a healthier way to give them to hens, how would you recommend I dry them? I don’t have a microwave. Thanks!

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Question: I have a ton of black soldier fly larvae in my compost bin. My hens have gotten a few of them just off the lid while I’m mixing up the compost, but I’ve never intentionally fed them any. Now I wonder if I can harvest and dry them for occasional treats? They are expensive buying from the feed store.
If that’s a healthier way to give them to hens, how would you recommend I dry them? I don’t have a microwave. Thanks!

What about using a dehydrator?

 

[Rocky86]

I breed mealworms and fruit flies for a house full of reptiles, and I feed them out 3-4x per week. It’s nice having all the different sizes because I offerred them to even week old chicks to boost them when they were not eating well. It’s to entertaining also! Lol it’s hilarious dropping in 100s of fruit flies and watching them run around like crazy.

They don’t eat the dry ones as well so I crush them up and mix them in with their food, tiny bit of scratch and make mush for a treat. They love the frozen cubes in this heat.

 

[EIEIO Funny Farm]

What about using a dehydrator?

Yes, I’ll try that.

 

[hysales]

. These are not just birds... They are my own little private flock of feathered DINOSAURS.

When my roo makes his weird sounds I try to imagine what it would sound like if he was 50x bigger. Probably less cute and much more terrifying!

 

[Ponypoor]

My kiddos get out and about a bit, and they really enjoy my manure pile, when I am cleaning stalls they love to dig in the manure pile catching all sorts of bugs.

I also collect Japanese beetles (a small bucket with a couple inches of water, when you see a cluster of the beetles shake them into the bucket, the water prevents them from flying away), when I have gone through all my fruit trees and roses and collected what beetles no can, I dump the bucket out on the barns brick floor and watch the chickens go wild!

It’s a free for all, 3 weeks olds up to 7 yrs old all fighting for those beetles

I have seen mine eat small snakes and small frogs. Large snakes they don’t attack, but they will harass.

This would make an awesome meal I would think!

 

[ANiceKaren]

I put some cinder blocks out in the run and every few weeks I'll turn them over and the chooks go crazy for the bugs, it's pretty funny to watch

I've also seen my dad feed them *still living) mice that have been caught in the trap. That was pretty gross, but the chickens were thrilled

I flip cinder blocks in my yard too! We call it “flippy flip” and when I say they my girls come running!!

 

[Cheetah Chicks]

When feeding extra protein do be careful with the forms of live protein that you chose to feed your chickens. Meal worms are the larva stage of the DARKLING BEETLE and both meal worms and darkling beetles are a major pest and a serious disease vector in commercial chicken houses, besides the meal worms destroy the very chicken house that they live in by boring into the walls of the chicken house in order to pupate. This behavior is more pronounced when using the deep litter method of of chicken manure control.

Don't take my poor word for this, research it and find out for yourself. Also other things like Earth worms, slugs, crickets, snails, and grasshoppers all transmit disease bacteria and intestinal worms to your flock.

What about the earthworms they find in the ground? We cant stop them from digging .